Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski shine in the Bundesliga yet face puzzling Ballon d’Or snubs, highlighting a lingering bias against German football.
The Ballon d'Or 2025 might have hailed Ousmane Dembele's heroics with Paris Saint-Germain, but Harry Kane's 13th-place finish reignited arguments over the continued undervaluation of Bundesliga stars. Kane, who excelled for Bayern Munich during the 2024-25 season, recorded an incredible 55 goal contributions (41 goals, 14 assists) but ended up well outside the top 10.
Harry Kane’s debut season with Bayern Munich was nothing short of phenomenal. Known for his prolific scoring in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, Kane adapted seamlessly to the Bundesliga, exceeding even the highest expectations placed upon him as Robert Lewandowski’s successor.
Despite producing one of the most impressive attacking campaigns globally, Kane’s Ballon d’Or ranking left fans shocked and analysts questioning the award’s credibility.
Kane's ranking at 13th in the rankings caused instant outrage among football purists. Numerous criticisms stated that players with many fewer goal contributions or influence finished higher, revealing a trend of Bundesliga players being underrated on the global scene.
Kane's case is similar to the experience of Lewandowski, who faced comparable disappointments despite record-breaking performances.
Robert Lewandowski’s 2019-20 season remains one of the most complete in football history, helping Bayern Munich achieve a historic sextuple. Yet, France Football canceled the Ballon d’Or that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, denying Lewandowski the recognition he arguably deserved.
When the award came back in 2021, Lewandowski again lost the top title, with Lionel Messi taking it after winning the Copa America, even though Lewandowski was averaging 1.41 goal contributions per game. Such instances confirm the Bundesliga bias that remains in the Ballon d'Or voting process.
The snub pattern goes beyond Lewandowski and Kane. Franck Ribery, Manuel Neuer, and others have been similarly disappointed. Experts say the problem isn't that Germany lacks talent but that there is systemic undervaluation of the Bundesliga against other leagues such as La Liga, the Premier League, or Ligue 1. Even record-breaking, generational-level talent still doesn't receive the appreciation due to them.
Kane has carried his sensational form into the 2025-26 campaign, already netting 17 goals and three assists in 12 games for club and country. The fans' hope is that consistent brilliance might finally propel him into the upper echelons of Ballon d'Or hopefuls next year.
France Football's focus on perceived "relevance" rather than statistical contribution could once more thwart Bundesliga stars from competing.
Harry Kane’s 13th-place finish, despite an extraordinary debut season in Germany, highlights a recurring problem: the world’s most prestigious individual football award often undervalues Bundesliga achievements.
The parallels with Lewandowski’s past disappointments are too striking to ignore, and unless the perception changes, Bundesliga stars will continue to face an uphill battle for global recognition.
